Truth is hard to come by.

It's one of the most important things we can have. It tells us who we are. It allows us to see the world for what it really is.

Master Srethra Kiin joined us for dinner that night. Though I'd met her that morning, I hadn't really seen her. I'd been too overwhelmed, lost within myself, to really take anything in.

When she walked in, I was hit with that same feeling of likeness I'd had before. Something about her felt – familiar – almost. As my mother showed her to her seat, making introductions as she went, I watched her. She walked with a grace unlike anyone I'd seen. She seemed to almost dance, as she moved.

As the meal progressed, Mother chatted with her constantly, wanting to hear everything she could from the woman, while she had the chance. Srethra, for her part, answered amicably enough, but kept pulling the conversation, almost by accident, back to my family. The meal was nearly over, when Father brought the talk back to business.

"Now, Master Jedi," he started, "I'm afraid you weren't very clear, earlier. Is there something I can help you with?"

"That all depends on you, actually. I didn't have anything special in mind, when we met. I was, honestly, just looking to pick up a few essentials and be on my way."

"Well, what changed then? I don't think I did anything particularly noteworthy. Just another day at the shop, really."

It wasn't anything you did. It was your son, actually. When young Grayson here walked in, I felt something... unusual, I suppose. I felt the Force in him, more strongly than I have in many years."

Well, that was news to me. The Force was something of a foreign concept to me, at the time. Maybe that was the strange feeling that...

"I'm not sure I follow." Father said, breaking into my thoughts. "What exactly does that mean, having the Force 'in you?'"

"The Force is a part of all of us, it lives in us, around us." she began. "The difference being, some of us can feel it, work along side it, call upon it. That is what Grayson has. That's what we look for; it's the beginnings of what makes a Jedi."

A Jedi! How cool would that be? I couldn't believe it, the Jedi were awesome, they were the symbols of everything good, of everything we believed. How great it would be, to be a Jedi, getting to do anything you want, fighting evil, no one able to defeat you! Apparently some of the wonder showed on my face.

"Now, I don't want to mislead you. I want to offer him a chance at being welcomed into our Order, but there are some things you need to know. The life of a Jedi is hard. He will face more difficulty and hardship than I can express. We will teach him how not only to use the Force, but to understand it. To follow it. He will be trained for many years, pushed beyond his limits. And when he is done, he will face danger, in many forms, every day. He will have to fight for what is right, even at the expense of himself. It is not an easy life."

My father seemed surprisingly calm. I thought he would have a slew of questions, if he didn't refuse her outright. But he only asked one.

He turned to this woman, this Jedi, and looked her in the eye. "Is it worth it?"

She was surprised. She'd had this conversation several times, but that wasn't something she'd been asked before. "This is the only life I've ever known. My first memories are in the temple. It is my life. I've traveled countless worlds, met people from every walk of life. I cannot imagine doing anything else. So yes, to me, it is worth it."

I could tell she meant it. Her honesty rang in her voice. I could always tell when I was being lied to. I believed her, she thought this would be a good life for me.

"Father, I want to go with her. It feels right."

He looked at me, he saw the desire in my eyes. And a touch of fear.

"Grayson, I never thought this could happen. I never thought you would leave me, not this soon. But if this is what you want, then you may go."

Of course, that wasn't the end of it, my mother hadn't had her say. She asked question after question, until she'd exhausted herself. After Master Srethra left, I could hear my parents talking long into the night. And I heard their tears.

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Alright, Chapter 2. I appreciate the feed back, so please leave me a review!